Boxing

[delta1]

boxing itself is a martial art, and its really one of the best... id take it over karate any day.

 

Boxing is godd in many ways, but it is severely lacking for self defense purposes. I agree with the Law here- a mix is best.

 

Boxing is good conditioning, developes reflexes, has fast and powerful fist techniques, decent footwork, and boxers are generally some of the best at picking apart your guard. But the gloves develope bad striking habits, and their defenses depend way too much on the gloves for street applications (those can be modified with practice, though). No kicking skills or defenses, and the stance leaves you a little too open to kicks, knees and leg checks. No defenses against grabs, locks, or other 'street' type attacks, other than strikes. No ground skills at all.

[Law072]

i finally got to use my new boxing abilities in some sparring matches. i was surprised. i knew i had gotten stronger from the months of boxing practice but i didnt no i would be so much faster then my classmates. it felt really good to do so well. i was throwing fakes and combonations and slipping punches like it was a walk in the park.

[Vito]

good points delta1, but i disagree for street applications. much as i love kicks, you rarely get a good chance to use them on the street, and much more rarely will you run into someone who throws them. besides, a streetfight is a brawl, which more often than not (when it doesnt result in a grapple) is flying fists. for the typical street fight, its everything youll need to know. also, defense is good enough- but on the street the best defense is a good offense. take him out before he takes you out. while id tend to agree with you on the gloves issue, for a lot of people its a non issue- me, i know how to punch and while i use bag gloves and all that stuff, without them i always do it right.

[delta1]

much as i love kicks, you rarely get a good chance to use them on the street, and much more rarely will you run into someone who throws them. besides, a streetfight is a brawl, which more often than not (when it doesnt result in a grapple) is flying fists. for the typical street fight, its everything youll need to know. also, defense is good enough- but on the street the best defense is a good offense.

 

I grew up in the sticks in Texas and New Mexico. Kicks were as common as cowboy boots. I've worked in construction and maintenance most of my life. When you wear steel toed boots, you tend to use them also. And, I've allwayspreffered seedy bars to fancy lounges. Fights tend to get really ugly, and anything and everything gets used. Knowing how to use your fists is essential, but far from everything you need.

 

Just because the other guy only throws fists, doesn't mean that I have to restrict even my hand strikes to fists. And, when things get really close (as they tend to do), it is good to know how to use elbows, heel palms, knees (short kicks), and how to create space and do shin kicks or scoops.

 

I totally agree about the best defense being a good offense. A defensive mindset and a defeatist mindset are one and the same, in practical terms. The defenses I was talking about were things like bear hugs, headlocks, tackles, grabs, chokes- the kind of things that tend to happen that punches aren't effective against. These can be dangerous, especially when your head is traped. Knowing how to move properly and extricate yourself quickly, while of course inflicting a lot of pain and dammage to him, is essential.

 

I'm not dissing boxing (I hope that is obviouse). But as practiced today, it is primarily a sport. You need to add some skills, as well as modify others, in order to make it truly effective for practical use. Same can be said for a lot of martial arts- probably even most. I think the trend to mixed training is a good one all around.

[Vito]

really? just shows how anything can happen in a fight. do you mean standup kicks or kicks once one guy is down?

 

and yea, i agree that to be a truly good streetfighter you need to alter your sport-boxing training a little, but not much. me, all the boxing/kickboxing ive done was with the mindset of streetfighting, so maybe thats why i dont see it as a problem.

[delta1]

do you mean standup kicks or kicks once one guy is down?

 

Both! The good old groin kick is one fairly common opener when the guy doesn't expect it. Kicks to the shins or knees. Kicks and stomps to downed opponents. Mostly the football/ field goal variety, but they hurt when they connect.

 

Boxing and kickboxing trained as a barehanded art should be an effective combination, though I don't have a lot of experience with either of them. But you might still want to think about adding some escapes and defenses for stand up grappling, and ground work if possible. Also, weapons might be a good thing to round out a street carriculum.

[Law072]

sometimes grion kicks are not that effective. i mean they usually are but if the person doesnt feel any pain in that area you will probably just end up ticking him off.

[WhiteDragon]

I have done a good deal of boxing and I must agree with the comment made about the development of a small, but ingrained repertoire. Boxers are agile, fast and can take punches a lot better than the average martial artist. They also parrie and cover up vital areas very well; have you ever tried landing a technique on a boxer and missed? if so you're not alone. The simplicity of this discipline allows for quick and powerful attacks without having to struggle with the complexities of martial arts. Their techniques are easy, but when u add unmatched speed and power to them, they are deadly. Like my Sensei in Goju would always say, you could spend your whole life practicing just the basics and never quite master them, but one who is extremely adept at a single basic punch, is a most formiddable opponent.

[cross]

sometimes grion kicks are not that effective. i mean they usually are but if the person doesnt feel any pain in that area you will probably just end up ticking him off.

 

I doubt people will rely on groin kicks alone in a self defence situation, its just one of many options. And I have to say that any normal person will curl up in a ball screaming after getting kicked full-force in the groin with steel-capped boots.

Boxers are agile, fast and can take punches a lot better than the average martial artist.

 

By that do you mean boxers flinch less when getting hit??

[unknown]

Boxing is extremely underrated because many people don't consider it a martial art. However many fail to realize that a very good boxer would absolutely demolish alot of martial artists out there.